Research facts and figures 2017
Innovations for a sustainable future
Optimism is what drives all human beings. At BASF, this motivates us every day to develop solutions for the greatest challenges of our time – so we can better protect the climate, make optimal use of limited resources and provide food, energy and clean water for a booming world population.
Innovations made BASF the leading chemical company. Today our customers and the whole society are more than ever looking for innovative solutions. We all need answers for problems like climate change, scarcity of resources and marine littering. As the most innovative chemical company we take a special responsibility here, because innovations based on chemistry are key to those answers.
With our Carbon Management Program we set a benchmark in achieving the climate protection targets, with our ChemCycling approach we aim towards a circular economy. We also co-founded the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a global effort to end plastic waste in the environment. This is how we understand our corporate purpose – "We create chemistry for a sustainable future".
Our innovative power
… is based on efficient research and development. We build on our Know-How Verbund: the great creativity, the specific skills and the broad knowledge of our networks. It is all about developing solutions together …
for a sustainable future
Facts and figures 2019
~11,000
employees in research and development (R&D) worldwide
> 2 billion €
expenses for R&D
~70
R&D locations worldwide
~1,000
new patents worldwide in 2019

Among leading companies in Patent Asset Index
The number and quality of our patents also attest to our power of innovation and long-term competitiveness. In 2019, we filed around 1,000 new patents worldwide. We once again ranked among the leading companies in the Patent Asset Index, a method that compares patent portfolios industry-wide.
Patent Asset Index™
The Patent Asset Index™ is calculated using the factors portfolio size and competitive impact. The competitive impact is determined by its technology relevance and market coverage.
~10,000
employees in research and
development worldwide
~70
R&D locations worldwide
~80
patents filed
~1,888 million
expenditures in research and
development in 2017
~3,000
R&D projects